Summary: "This is Annabeth Chase." "Thank goodness I finally found you." / They've met before, of course, but that- that was a year ago, and even then, they've never actually seen each other. / In which Annabeth gets a phone call in the middle of the night from an old... whatever he was. / The long-awaited sequel to my other fic, drag me down with chains of letters. Read that one first. / AU / No gods.

Author's Note: If you haven't read the prequel, read it. You'll be confused, otherwise. I know this isn't the sequel that you probably expected, nor the sequel that you deserve, but... here. Here it is. But, enjoy, anywho. :)

Her phone blares under her pillow, but it still manages to rattle her awake.

Moving instinctively, she presses the bright green ANSWER button and brings the phone up to her ear.

"This is Annabeth Chase." She mumbles, trying to repress a yawn.

"Thank goodness- I've finally found you."

At these words, her back straightens up, tense, and a pre-adrenaline rush begins to start. "Who is this?"

"Sorry- I realized you didn't know my voice."

She's sitting up in her bed now, and even in the midst of her red blanket and her walls of books a feeling of uncertainty begins to creep into the open.

Annabeth took a breath, trying to still her accelerating heartbeat. The cars outside her window zoom past her, oblivious, much like her- "Hello? Are you still there?"

"Who is this?" She demands.

A laugh comes from the other end, and she could almost see him- no. No, it can't be him. "Um, this is Percy Jackson."

It is him. Of course.

"Also known as Seaweed Brain? Spongebob?" He says, trying to bring a light air into the conversation.

That's it. She's already gone through the emotional mess of forgetting him, shoving memories of him into the dusty corners of her mind and hiding the letters somewhere beneath the bed. She'd say that she's done a good job at covering the evidence. "Oh."

"Nice to see you too. How's life?"

"Horrible," she says honestly, but she puts the comment up as a wall of defense instead of friendly honesty. "My family thinks I'm nuts."

"You're not nuts," the familiar-yet-not-familiar voice argues, but not against her. "You're one of the smartest people I know."

"Knew," she automatically corrects.

This time, he's the one that replies with a breath-taken "Oh."

The two sit in another pregnant pause, before Percy (goodness, she can't start believing in him again, can she?) changes the subject, saying, "Erm, if you're interested, we got the car."

Annabeth laughs, but there isn't a trace of humor. "I know- wow, I can't believe I still remember."

She could here him a small laugh on the other side. It rings steadily through the line. "Yeah, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah," she admits, sighing and tucking herself back in.

They stay in a steadfast silence for a minute or two, (but it's not like she's counting,) soaking up the reality of the conversation.

"Are you still in New York?" Percy asked suddenly, curiosity weaved into his tone.

"What!" She responded immediately, "Oh, yeah."

"Are you still up for the search?"

"Do you want me to be honest with you?"

"Honesty's the best policy," he joked, trying to keep the atmosphere light.

She took a deep breath, readying herself. "No, Percy."

His silence was unnerving. "Percy?"

"Um, can I ask-"

"You're not real." She states bluntly, pulling her knees to her chest. "And I need is something real right now."

"I'm real." Percy protested without malice. "Look, stay where you are. I'll find you... somehow."

"Percy-"

"Annabeth." She could almost here the feeling of longing in his voice.

"Fine." She said in defeat, throwing her free hand in the air. "Fine. But I have rules."

"Rules are good! Yeah, um... what do you need?"

"My life is my life and your life is yours," she started, "that means we are not going to 'run away together' or something idiotic like that. School starts soon, and this is our last year. Speaking of which, if I somehow know that your grades are dropping because you're looking for me, I'm going to tell you to drop the search immediately."

"Oka-"

"Also," Annabeth continued, "if you do find me and I've moved on, don't be surprised."

Percy took a pause to let the comment sink in before saying with a resigned sigh, "Alright."

"That's it for now, at least." She said, taking another deep breath. "I'll probably have more, though."

He chuckled. "As you wish, Princess."

"Oh, hush." She teased, eyes catching on the clock- 5:50 AM. Shoot. "I actually have to start getting ready for work- I'll call you back?"

The last three words were out before she knew it. She could imagine his grin lighting up the room. "Yeah. Okay. Wait, work?"

"I tutor." She explained, rising from her bed. The hardwood felt cool underneath her feet.

"This early?"

"Bye, dork."

"Bye, Annabeth."

For the first time in a year, she didn't make a point to ignore the box under her bed.

TBC.

AN: And there you have it!

This will probably end up becoming a series of texts, calls, and practically electronic communication (just to let you know.) Because technology is so versatile, expect the formatting to constantly change. (That might not make sense now, but hopefully, it will.)

I hope you enjoyed it,

emptymatchbox